List of Butterflies of Maine. First, they simply cannot survive the cold temperatures and must find a warmer climate in order to survive. In fact, Pyle says that distinguishing certain groups of look-alike butterflies, such as some checkerspots, green hairstreaks, and skippers, can confound even the experts. Lycaenidae. They can live in more than 25 different habitats, ranging from deserts to hedgerows to rainforests. We promise that there are many different butterfly food sources all over your backyard; you just need to look for them. Now, when it comes down to eating butterflies, there are two kinds of butterflies that these predators will consume: a good tasting butterfly or a bad tasting butterfly. Instead of being limited to liquids, they eat mostly leaves and plant material. Mexican Bluewing Butterfly. Most butterflies that frequent colder climates will migrate for two reasons. In California, they can be grouped into the coppers (subfamily Lycaeninae), the blues (subfamily Polyommatinae), and the hairstreaks (subfamily Theclinae). Eastern Tailed-Blue (Everes comyntas) These small adorable butterflies are lovely to watch visiting flowers or moist areas. In brief, most butterflies do not eat anything, although they do drink liquids. First, you have to realize that there are a lot of butterfly food sources; you just have to look for them! Butterfly adaptations that allow the creature to thrive in its environment may be characterised as either behavioral or structural. With these, both the adults and the caterpillars get into the act. When it comes to butterflies, a lot of people do not know exactly what they eat. To keep from becoming a tasty snack, some butterflies have developed a bad taste to their bodies. Certain species can only be determined by dissection. A number of Azures (Spring Azure Complex) are very similar and were once thought to be the same species Harvester: Feniseca tarquinius : View Thumbnails : Coppers Subfamily Lycaeninae. The gossamer-winged butterflies - sometimes called gossamer-wings - are in the family known as Lycaenidae, are a large group of butterflies found all over the world (over 5000 species), and they also happen to be some of the smallest of butterflies. The Pieridae family consists mostly of white and yellow butterflies that live in Asia and Africa. You can click any image for more details and photographs. Therefore, with butterflies, sometimes identifying to genus level is the best we can do. Harvesters Subfamily Miletinae. Gossamer-winged butterfly, (family Lycaenidae), any of a group of small, often brightly coloured butterflies (order Lepidoptera) that includes several hundred species commonly called coppers, blues, hairstreaks, harvesters, and metal marks. Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae) The members of the Lycaenidae family, alternately known as the gossamer-winged are the second largest group of butterflies after the Nymphalidae. About 147 butterfly species colonize the US state of Mississippi, of which some are common and found across the state, while others are quite rare. Minimizing the view on its legs, the male forelegs are smaller than the females. The 6,000 species of butterflies that compose the Lycaenidae family are also known as the gossamer-winged butterflies, and the blues, coppers, hairstreaks, and harvesters are the main Lycaenidae subfamilies. Since butterflies usually migrate long distances, they require frequent feeding stopovers. Gossamer Winged Butterflies. All the butterflies require host plants where they lay eggs. What does a glass winged butterfly eat? The Lycaenidae family consists of a large number of mostly small butterflies, more than 100 of which are found in North America. Around Kloof we are lucky enough to have quite a few of these strange insects. We need you to answer this question! While the caterpillars feed on host plants, adults eat nectar from flowering plants. Tailed Copper: Lycaena arota: American Copper: Lycaena phlaeas: Lustrous Copper: Lycaena cupreus 'Snow's' Lycaena cupreus snowi: Great Copper: Lycaena xanthoides: Gray Copper: Lycaena dione: Edith's Copper: Lycaena editha: Gorgon … Instead of being limited to liquids, they eat mostly leaves and plant material. The males are a cobalt blue while the females are a more slate gray. What Types of Flowers Do Butterflies Eat? The wings, bodies, and legs, like those of moths, are covered with dustlike scales that come off when the animal is handled. By: Joy Brown ... Not only do they look and often smell nice, but many of them also attract butterflies, the most beautiful of all winged insects. The following list of butterflies are found in Maine. While butterflies do not eat in the traditional sense, they have a proboscis, or long tube in their mouth that acts like a straw for drinking. Toronto Wildlife, Gossamer-winged Butterflies. We'll get more posted from our archives shortly ... so visit again soon. The Gossamer-wings are a very diverse and complex family with at least 4750 species worldwide.